Episode 231

EPISODE 231
LEVEL A1.2/A2.2

 

READING COMPREHENSION

 

HOBBIES

 

John met Mark yesterday and as usual they had a very interesting conversation. This time they talked about their hobbies:

John: I like soccer ( = football) very much, but I have other hobbies, too.
Mark: Oh, yeah? What else do you like?
John: I like gardening ( = working in the garden), my garden looks really beautiful in the summer with all these flowers and trees…
Mark: Well, I think it is rather boring! I prefer to spend my free time more actively. I like hiking ( = going for a long walk with a backpack) and camping ( = when you sleep in a tent).
John: This is really boring, you just walk and walk and sleep in a tent. It’s not my idea of fun. I like pottery ( = you make pots and other dishes), at least you can make some nice things.
Mark: No, no this is definitely not for me. What do you think of skydiving ( = jumping form a plane with a big „umbrella”)?
John: Isn’t it too dangerous? I could try squash ( = like tennis, but you play it inside a room), but skydiving? No…
Mark: Forget about squash, it’s too aggressive for you! You should try bird watching ( = you go to the forest to watch birds and to see what types they are) !
John: Now, you’re talking!
And again John didn’t see Mark was sarcastic once again.

 

More contexts for the new words:

• If you dive deep in water, you go scuba diving.
• If you dive, but not very deep, you go snorkeling.

 

 

ENGLISH IN USE 

Let’s look at how to ask questions when we talk about regular situations. This is our sentence for today: „What else do you like?”. As you can see, we use „do” to make a correct question. Look at these:

I like football.
Do you like football?
What sport do you like?

Remember that we use „do” only with „I, you, we, they”, but not with „he, she, it”.

They like swimming.
Do they like swimming?
What sport do they like?

 

 

IDIOM CLOSE-UP

 

 

A/ Susan is always busy. She takes her kids to French classes, painting lessons, karate workouts and drama activities.

B/ Yeah, she’s a real SOCCER MUM.

 

A soccer mum is a mother who takes her children to activities after school such as football matches.

 

 

 

PHRASAL VERBS CLOSE-UP

 

1. If you WARM UP, you do gentle exercises which prepare you for more serious exercise.

Before playing soccer, you should warm up.

 

2. If you COOL DOWN, you become cooler and relax.

Don’t forget to cool down and stretch your muscles after doing sports.

 

 

EXERCISE 1

Complete the sentences.

 

1. The players are already on the stadium warming ………………………….
2. Just try to cool …………………………. and think rationally.
3. Soccer …………………………. usually have conservative political views.

 

 

NEWS

 

 

UNUSUAL HOBBIES

 

Do you think your hobbies are original? After reading this text, you will no longer think so! For instance, have you ever tried duct tape art? This is art which uses – yes, you guessed it – duct tape as its main material. You can make sculptures, paintings, shoes, clothes and jewellery out of it. Or, have you heard of handcuff collecting?  The biggest collection has a few thousand handcuffs, and is still growing! If you want something more extreme, try javelin catching – a sport where you try to catch a javelin thrown by another person. But be careful, the sport is quite deadly, and your first time might be your last! Last but not least, if you want to get close to nature, try noodling – fishing with your hands. Just don’t try to catch a shark!

 

GLOSSARY

– duct tape  – strong and very sticky cloth that is often used for covering cracks or holes in pipes

– a sculpture – a work of art made of stone, metal or wood

– handcuffs – metal rings that a police officer puts on a prisoner’s hands

– a javelin – a long sharp stick that is thrown in a sports competition

 

 

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